Dartmouth and UMass Lowell Play to a 1-1 Draw

Saturday, September 17

Lowell, Mass.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

UMass Lowell

Dartmouth and UMass Lowell Play to a 1-1 Draw

9/17/2016 9:41:00 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Dartmouth

LOWELL, MASS. – In a contest that went the distance and then some, the Dartmouth men's soccer team and UMass Lowell played to a 1-1 draw in Lowell on Saturday night.

With the tie, Big Green are now 1-1-3 and the River Hawks are 6-0-1.

“I am very proud of the effort the team put forth today” head coach Chad Riley said. “I thought for long stretches of the game we were excellent. We started very well and could have been up by more with better finishing. Credit to UMass Lowell, they are a good team and there is a reason they haven't lost.”

In the first half Dartmouth was able to get plenty of scoring opportunities in the attacking zone, which led to the first tally of the night. Just six minutes into the contest, Matt Greer, who has been playing well for the Big Green as of late, headed in his first goal of the season for the, 1-0, advantage.

Three minutes later Dartmouth nearly added to its lead when Yima Asom just missed on a shot right in front of the River Hawks' goalkeeper.

The Big Green did a solid job on defense as UMass Lowell did not have a scoring chance until the 16th minute when James Hickok came out to challenge a shot for the save. He finished the night with four stops. Dartmouth kept threatening throughout the first stanza when Asom had another golden opportunity, when his shot missed the crossbar by a few inches.

The River Hawks were able to get the equalizer before the halftime break when UMass Lowell was awarded a penalty shot in the 41st minute. Ivan Abramovic was taken down in the box and Carlos Ruiz took the shot for the River Hawks that beat Hickok to his right side for the game-tying-goal.

After halftime, the teams returned to the field where a stalemate developed as each squad tried to create scoring chances, but could not find the back of the net. With 20 minutes remaining in regulation, the Big Green had a good look on a free kick, but the shot went wide. A minute later, Matt Danilack was taken down and some pushing and shoving ensued, but no cards were issued by the officials for the skirmish.

Later on in the second half, Justin Donawa was nearly the hero for Dartmouth when he went on a short breakaway, but could not get a shot past the goalie.

Neither squad could connect on a game-winner which sent the contest into its first 10-minute overtime period. With the clock ticking down to three minutes, Greer had the best look for the Big Green in overtime with a hard shot that was saved.

A second 10-minute overtime was needed after the golden goal could not be scored. In the final extra frame Dartmouth tried to create some scoring chances for itself with solid ball movement, but the game eventually concluded in a draw.

“We again controlled the game in the second half and made enough chances to win the game, but we didn't get the bounce or finish we needed,” Riley said. “Overall there were more positives than negatives and now we need to break down the film and get better.”

The Big Green return home this Wednesday, Sept. 21 when Dartmouth hosts Hartford at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on the Ivy League Digital Network and can also be streamed on the Dartmouth Sports Facebook page via Facebook Live.